


The Future Isn't Always What It Seems

by knavessofhearts



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 10:37:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13075104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knavessofhearts/pseuds/knavessofhearts
Summary: happy RSS2017 to mallie-taylor4!!!! I hope you love this fic and have a wonderful christmas!





	The Future Isn't Always What It Seems

Rumplestiltskin wasn’t a stranger to prophecies. At first when he had received the gift, it was an inconceivable puzzle. He couldn’t distinguish between his own memories, what was happening in the present, or the infinitely possible paths he was being shown in his visions. They all happened at once, it was like trying to walk through a room filled of gleaming images. It was decades before he could control it and master it, until the prophecies were as small and meaningless as errant thoughts. If they were useful, he would pull them down into the forefront and store them for a rainy day. Otherwise, they remained hidden in a part of him. Except one memory.

It was the first vision he had seen, the moment his hands clasped onto the Seer’s and he stole her power. It was the first taste of the future, a future he desperately wanted to see. It shimmered. That was the first way he learned how to ascertain if what he was seeing was a vision, a memory, or an experience. He saw it for only a split second, but with his infinite power the tiniest flicker of a vision could be amplified.

It was a home. He couldn’t see where it was, even if it was a house, but Rumplestiltskin felt that warmness in his heart that could only be described as home. He would walk through a wooden door, and heard the crackling of a fire- and felt a wave of relief, anticipation, and love rush through him. Someone was sitting by the fire in a tall chair, with their back to them. They were reading, and Rumplestiltskin could hear the rustling of paper as they turned a page. A floorboard creaked under his foot, and the person freezes. They do not turn, but sigh, and say in a fond and welcoming voice

“Papa…welcome home.”

And that was the vision Rumplestiltskin held onto for hundreds of years, that spiralled his obsessions with magic and curses and quests to find his son. The knowledge, the vision, the feeling in his heart that he knew one day he would feel again. In his loneliest moments, we would conjure up the memory again and again, replaying it like a song. Sometimes, he would light a candle as he swam in the memory, holding on tightly to the one treasure he had left of his son, the shawl. Then the moment would be over, the vision would fade back and be replaced by more visions, more prophecies and memories.

Memories of enemies, of mentoring a young queen, of fighting, of evil, of power, magic. Then, of a girl with blue eyes and a stubborn courage, a teacup, of tears in those beautiful eyes, of pain, loss, and remorse once again. More than ever in that moment Rumplestiltskin wished he could retreat into the past and change what happened with his prophecies, but he never had visions of her. Only an empty heart…and a chipped cup.

By that moment of time, Rumplestiltskin was consumed by his mission and pain, it was the only thing that propelled him forward as he continued to collect age and power. Then, 28 years of quiet. No memories, no experiences or visions. All that was there was Mr Gold. Sometimes, Mr Gold would dream of a vague and familiar place where he felt at home, of someone welcoming him back, but the vision was clouded in curses and fake memories, fighting to be remembered.

When Rumplestiltskin heard that name, the name that would remove the hazy fog of the dark curse, it was that vision once again that was the first thing he saw. A happy ending, a reason to keep fighting.

Along the way, Rumplestiltskin did see that beautiful girl again, and it wasn’t a vision or a painful memory. It was real, and it was standing in front of him in his shop asking for his protection. One part of his heart returned, and once magic was restored, Rumplestiltskin could find the other part.

Yet, once the magic returned, so did the visions. The powers of the Seer came back with an ugly vengeance, his power dormant for 28 years. His power of the Dark One was intense and enveloping, but nowhere near as tempting as that of seeing the future. The visions were increasingly tantalising and exciting, offering Rumplestiltskin countless paths that would give him everything he desired. Hundreds of possibilities from choices he would make every minute of every day. One path offered him power greater than that of a Dark One, another saw him as a gallant knight who fought evil and was beloved by all. One path showed him Belle laughing as she carried their child on her hip, a little girl with his eyes and Belle’s hair. Those visions were the worst. A happy, simple life with her offering him the happiness he so desired, but at the cost of his son. If only the vision could have showed him Baelfire as a part of that life, and Rumplestiltskin would have everything he wanted. Many times the visions forced Rumplestiltskin to shut doors to his own happiness, to maintain his destiny, and that of his son’s.

Rumplestiltskin didn’t see the moment he found him in a vision, no Seer or Dark One could have predicted the role his son ended up playing in the life of the savior, or the saviour’s son. But that didn’t matter, all that mattered was repairing the damage between them, because Rumplestiltskin knew at one moment in time, his son will fondly say to him ‘welcome home’. Maybe now Baelfire could be a part of the future Rumplestiltskin saw with Belle and their child, a family at last. He saw a vision of his son dying once, but it was on a separate path. It was a path where his son forgave him- and he knew that was a long way from ever happening, and so he had time to prevent that path from ever occurring.

Rumplestiltskin even saw when he was going to die, multiple times. One path saw Regina killing him and becoming the dark one herself, another the darkness was destroyed and no one had to become that evil entity. One time, it was a familiar foe with a youthful face. Rumplestiltskin held each vision with a grain of salt, until he knew which path he found himself on, and knew he must accept his fate once on it. that was how he found himself sacrificing his life for Baelfire and Belle. If this was the end of his story, he could accept that, knowing the two parts of his heart were safe. Then there was darkness.

And the vision returned. It flickered back into his consciousness in fragments, until he could hear that voice once again whisper that he was home. Then, a new part of the vision came to him. In all the years of replaying this memory, Rumplestiltskin never knew there was more. He hears the voice say welcome home, and then the person sets down the book, His Handsome Hero. His heart leaps as he recognises it, and the person calls out to someone else in the house.

“He’s here! Papa’s arrived!”

Who could he be talking to? He tries to hold on to the memory, but it slips away as he remerges in the world of the living once again. Only to see his son dying, Belle crying, and an evil witch destroying his family. Rumplestiltskin did everything he could to hold on to them, until he lost his mind, and gained another. He couldn’t quite describe what it felt like, or what he was aware of what was happening- he tried to hold on to that vision. It kept him from losing himself, knowing he could find a way to save his son.

In the end, he couldn’t. He lost Baelfire as soon as he found him again. And through all the pain that followed that loss, through the happiness he found with Belle again, he thought of that vision. Why hadn’t it come true? Why was he taunted by a vision since he gained this power that was never going to come true? Why even after losing his son did he still see this vision? What could the universe or fate or destiny be trying to tell him by keeping this unobtainable path in his mind?

The heartbreak, joy, betrayal and separation with Belle that followed made him angry at his visions. He had foreseen a beautiful life with Belle- and even after losing everything he had he couldn’t have that! Each step he took destroyed that future beyond repair, that Rumplestiltskin no longer wished to have the burden of prophecy- he had enough power now, that he could suppress it. After everything that happened with Belle, he no longer wanted to know what the future had in store for him.

And then Belle became pregnant, and everything changed. This first thought was the vision, maybe it would finally come true. They were in the Underworld after all, anything was possible. He could find Baelfire and bring him back home, and the little girl on Belle’s hip would be real, and Baelfire could be a big brother to her. But their future child was in danger from the contract he made long, long ago, and Rumplestiltskin so desperately wanted to see a way to get them to their happy ending. But he couldn’t rely on paths already made for him, his prophecies were gone, if he wanted a happy life with Belle, this time he was going to have to fight for it, and be worthy of it. he was right in the end, They got their happy life with a beautiful child, albeit not a little girl- the future is constantly changing after all. He forged the right path all on his own. He made his own future.

And their life was a thing of beauty, and Rumplestiltskin got the family he dreamed of, no longer haunted by past mistakes and regrets. He used no magic, bargained no deals, and became a new person. He sometimes wished Baelfire could have been a part of it, even though he was always there in Rumplestiltskin’s heart, even Belle’s. Gideon grew up on tales of his older brother, Rumplestiltskin even showed him a drawing of him once. Gideon had once said they had the same nose. Rumplestiltskin couldn’t help but imagine if Baelfire was there as the three of them explored realm after realm, how Baelfire would guide Gideon- teach him how to fish, hunt, or use a sword. Deep down, Rumplestiltskin knew his son was somewhere where he was happy, at peace- just as he was now with his family. Maybe that was enough, the honourable way to honour Baelfire, by giving Gideon everything he would have done for his first son, and avoiding all the pain and suffering he learnt the first time.

 

Despite all that, time moved on, and he did not. Gideon grew up and built a life on his own, and Belle…his sweet, darling Belle…he missed her more than anything.

He put himself on another path, to be reunited with her. It led him through many new adventures, until he found himself in a new curse, a new town, and a new identity. It was here, hidden amongst Detective Weaver’s memories, the vision resurfaced.

He was lying on the ground, bleeding out, when he had seen a vision of a breathtakingly beautiful woman leaning over him. She smiled, and kissed him gently. Then, he found himself at that wooden door once more. He heard the fire, the rustling of pages, the creaking floorboard.

“Papa…welcome home,” the voice says warmly, but Detective Weaver doesn’t know who it is, or where he is…this is a very strange reaction to bleeding out from a gunshot wound.

The person stands up, and it is a young man with brown, sweeping hair. He is taller than him, and Mr Gold wonders whether this man lives in Storybrooke…he looks familiar.

“He’s here! Papa’s arrived!” Gideon calls out, and Rumplestiltskin reaches out to his son as the memories and visions merge together. He is waking up, fighting through layers of curses and prophecies to reach his son. To reach _Gideon._ It had never been Baelfire in the vision, a tiny bit of the puzzle finally made sense. In the same moment, Rumplestiltskin was elated his vision could still become true, and incredibly sad that it was not Baelfire after all. Would he ever see his first son again? Even bleeding out on the floor, what would it take to see him for just one second?

Gideon runs out of the room and into the sunlight outside, but the light changes to a fluorescent glow, and Detective Weaver wakes up in a hospital room. It takes a second, and numerous lives, identities, memories, curses, magic spins around in his head, until Rumplestiltskin comes back into the forefront. He knew what he had to do now, and what he was after, it was only a matter of how he got there.

It was during his time in Hyperion Heights, not as Mr Gold or Detective Weaver, just Rumplestiltskin, during his final quest he would dream the most. He was at home, but it wasn’t really home, just the apartment given to Weaver by the curse. He wasn’t really sure why he was pretending he wasn’t awake, Regina had come back, but for a moment it was almost a relief pretending to still be Weaver. Weaver was no nonsense, no heartbreak or loss, but also no light in his life. Weaver didn’t have a curse family, not even curse friends. No one was there to rely on him or need him, which at times was a relief, but it only made Rumplestiltskin miss his family even more.

He would wonder how Bae would fit into the world of Seattle, if maybe during his time in the land without magic he had ever been here. He would lie in bed and wonder where Gideon was at that exact moment, pursuing his dream and being a hero like his mother. And the most painful of all, he would imagine walking into the empty and cold apartment and imagine Belle turning on a light in the darkness, and ask him what was for supper.

Sometimes he would dream about her lying beside him, stroking his hair, or watching over him like in his vision, leaning down to wake him up. It felt so real that he didn’t dare open his eyes as to shatter the illusion, almost feeling her presence in the room with him. But every morning he would wake up, shake away the pain and longing of the night before, and try again. Find the guardian, pass on the power, become a mortal again, and return home.

Eventually, and through many tribulations and struggles, he found the guardian, the one destined to rid the world of this power and lay to rest. Along the way, he saved his family, even gained a few new members along the way oddly enough. And then, for the first time in three centuries, Rumplestiltskin, The Dark One, was no more. He was mortal once again. It was an odd feeling, suddenly being aware of one’s mortality after so long of never noticing. Everything seemed almost intensified, the tiny things an immortal never notices. but he relished every spark of pain or hunger or exhaustion, it all meant he was alive, he would age normally, and he would see Belle again.

And finally, one day he found himself standing in an unfamiliar world, a place that he couldn’t seem to recollect yet felt oddly comforting. He wasn’t quite sure how he got there, or where he was supposed to go, but Rumplestiltskin felt his feet start to move forward. Eventually, the world around his formed a shape, and a deep sunset colour. He recognised where he was…the familiar warm hue of the sinking sun, he looked into the distance and found what he was looking for, the cottage.

He opened the wooden door, and the memories followed him like a trail of light sweeping through the house. Every moment and memory of love that Rumplestiltskin had gathered in his life, from the moment he held Baelfire, to the second he saw Belle and the day Gideon came back to them for a second chance. Every smile, laugh, cry, kiss and hug, it wrapped itself around Rumplestiltskin and made him feel like he was encased in a warm blanket, as he heard the fire crackling. He stepped forward, hearing the creak and the memories flooding him suddenly ceased. Registering what it meant, he looked up.

It was the vision, the first vision he ever saw, the one that had been the strand tying his life from one moment to the next. At times insignificant, other times inspiration or a point of sorrow, now a point of certainty. He felt his heart warm, and the glowing vision suddenly stop and sharpen into reality. It was no longer a vision. It was really happening, and he was really here, at long last.

Gideon stopped reading, and turned to face his father.

“Welcome home, Papa” and in a matter of seconds his son was in his arms, for what felt like an eternity since he had seen him, it could have been an eternity the two of them embraced for all Rumplestiltskin knew. Time was starting to fade away. Gideon pulled away and smiled at his father, before yelling over his shoulder.

“He’s here! Papa’s arrived!”

Rumple could see a door open, and light pouring through, he wondered what was beyond that door…if that was the end…

“Come, Papa. Everyone’s waiting,” Gideon said and led the way. For a minute the light was blinding, and then everything came into focus. They were having a picnic, and setting up the table with ice tea and hamburgers. It didn’t matter that it didn’t make sense, all Rumplestiltskin could see was-

“Belle!” she turned around, as radiant as ever, wearing her blue dress and smiling brighter than the sun, as young and as beautiful as the day he met her. She ran into his arms, and it was like his whole body was on fire, as every memory and feeling and though of her came rushing back at once. He was so overcome with relief and joy, all he could do was look at her and smile. To see that smile once more, and not be a memory. It was real, she was there. Gideon was beside them, and setting down the cutlery before walking up behind his big brother, who beamed at his Papa.

“Bae…”

So many moments since his death Rumple had thought about seeing his son again, and would imagine what he would say to his boy. Tell him how sorry he was for failing him, for not being there for him, how much he loved him. In the end, all he needed was to hold his hand one last time, just as Rumplestiltskin did as Bae moved on to the next life. This time, they were together.

Rumple grabbed Baelfire’s hand, and felt his eyes swim with tears to finally be here. Bae just smiled, like everything they could ever say to each other didn’t need to be said. All Rumple could feel was pure happiness, as he finally, looked around and saw all the pieces of his heart standing beside him. Belle took his hand and led him to the picnic table. They all sat down and began to eat, Belle handed out napkins, and Gideon poured the tea. Rumple settled in and looked around at the perfect little world they inhabited, and couldn’t imagine ever feeling this content in his entire existence. Gideon handed Baelfire the ketchup, brothers finally together and happy. They were all at peace.

And Rumplestiltskin closed his eyes. His vision finally complete.

 


End file.
